Xi sends positive signal to Japan on Nanjing anniversary

December 14, 2017

Nanjing- Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled a positive message to Japan in an unusual way on Wednesday, the 80th anniversary of the 1937 Nanjing massacre of Chinese civilians and others by Japanese soldiers.

At a ceremony to mark the anniversary in Nanjing, the president skipped a speech, apparently in consideration for the current momentum for improvement in Japan-China relations. It is rare for Xi not to deliver a speech when he attends a national event.

No other members of the Communist Party of China's top-level politburo standing committee made a speech either. Instead, former member Yu Zhengsheng stood on the podium.

While arguing that 300,000 Chinese people were killed in the Nanjing incident, compared with the Japanese side's claim of up to 200,000 victims, Yu stressed that the two countries should maintain a friendship toward the future while reflecting on history and contribute to peace for mankind.

Yu noted that this year is the 45th since the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and China and that next year will be the 40th since the conclusion of the bilateral peace and friendship treaty.

Xi aimed to "hold back harsh criticism of Japan" at the ceremony, an expert on Japanese affairs said.

The Japanese government had been wary of Xi's possible remarks at the anniversary event, after learning that he would attend the ceremony for the first time in three years.

His decision not to deliver a speech "reflected the Xi leadership's positive attitude toward improving ties with Japan," a Japanese diplomatic source said.

At a summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Vietnam last month, Xi declared a fresh start for the Japan-China relationship.

The Abe administration now aims to realize a visit to Japan by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at an early date, a subsequent China visit by Abe and a trip to Japan by Xi.

In 2014, China designated the Dec. 13 anniversary of the Nanjing massacre as a day of national mourning, amid escalating tensions over Japan's effective nationalization of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, called Diaoyu in China, and Japanese politicians' visits to war-linked Yasukuni Shrine, which China and others regard as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

The first national ceremony to mark the anniversary was held the same year, with Xi giving a speech. Until then, anniversary ceremonies had been hosted by local authorities. Jiji Press